Pneumatic player.



E. T. TURNEY.

PNEUMATIC PLAYER.

APPLICATION FILED 02013, 1912.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

INVENTOI? Patented NOVIQS, 1916.

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PNEUMATIC PLAYER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 13, 1912.

Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE T. TURNEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, IBY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AMERICAN PLAYER ACTION COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PNEUMATIC PLAYER.

Application filed December 13, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EUGENE T. TURNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Players, of which the following is a specification.

This invention aims to provide certain improvements in pneumatic players for pianos and similar musical instruments, the improvements being especially directed to rewinding mechanism, skipping mechanism, and the construction and arrangement of parts adjacent to the frame which carries the tracker bar.

The rewinding mechanism is pneumatically controlled, instead of mechanically as has been generally the case heretofore, and this pneumatic mechanism is arranged to be quickly and completely flushed with air by a substantial opening directly into the atmosphere, so as to secure an immediate response to the operation of the rewinding button or lever.

The skipping mechanism operates by similarly opening the action wind chest to the atmosphere, while securing a continuous forward movement of the music; so that as long as the sln'pping mechanism is held operative the music sheet is carried forward, but is not played.

Other features of improvement are referred to in detail hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section, of the complete apparatus, the supports for the several parts being omitted for the sake of clearness. Fig. 2 is a portion of Fig. 1 on a larger scale partly in section on the line 2, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a cross section of Fig. 2 on the line 3-3. Fig. 3 is a left hand side elevation of the pneumatic shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section of the valve box. Fig. 5 is a similar section of the flushing valve in the open position.

Referring now to the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the tracker bar A is Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

Serial No. 736,514.

mounted in a frame with the take up roll B and the music roll C on which is originally carried the perforated music sheet D. The rolls B and C are removable. When in place they are engaged at their ends by shafts E and F. The end of the music sheet being connected to the take up roll B the shaft F is rotated to carry the music sheet forward. At the end of a piece of music, or whenever it is desired to rewind the sheet, the take up shaft F is released from the motor and the rewinding shaft E is turned backward. The motor shaft G is rotated continuously in one direction as long as the power is applied. The end of this shaft is geared by means of a sprocket chain H to a short shaft J on which is splined a hollow shaft K which is adapted to be shifted to the right or to the left so as to unclutch it from or to clutch it to the end of the rewinding shaft E. The motor shaft Gr carries spllned on it a hollow shaft L which is adapted to be shifted to the right or to the left to unclutch it from or to clutch it to a pinion M which is mounted to rotate on the shaft G- and which is in continuous engagement with a gear N fixed on the take up shaft F. The clutch members K and L are mounted in the forked ends of a lever O pivoted at a point intermediate between its ends. The upper end of the lever O is pulled inward by a spring P, the extent of its motion being limited by an adjustable stop Q screwing into a fixed part of the frame and having its outer end in the path of the upper end of the lever. This combination of clutches and gearing is commonly termed the transmission. The transmission and the tracker bar and shafts are carried upon a frame or box comprising a back R, a pair of forwardly projecting upright side pieces S and T and a base U.

On the outside of the member S of the frame is mounted the intermediate member V of a pair of bellows. The inner bellows comprises the rigidly mounted plate V and a plate W hinged at its upper edge to the plate V and the usual flexible membrane around their edges. On the plate W is While there is a suction in the wind chest is a suction in the chest 0.

mounted an extension X, the lower end of which embraces a rod Y provided with a nut or collar Z on its outer end and extending along the bottom of the box in a groove a. The right hand end of this rod Y is pivotally connected to an extension upon the lower end of the shifting lever O. The bellows V, W opens through a passage Z) (Figs. 3 and 3 in the fixed plate V into a tube '6 which passes downward and enters the upper compartment of the action wind chest c'(which is made in three long compartments .communicatingat the end as shown). This wind chest controls the several pneumatics which operate the action. It is the suction inthis wind chest, acting in conjunction with the Pneumatics which are opened to the atmosphere through the tracker openings, which causes the operation of the hammers. "Normally, therefore, as long as the player is being operated there This suction is effected by a pumper at the bottom of the machine which communicates through a valve box d with a flexible pipe 6 leading from the action wind chest.

The motor and its shaft G run continuously as long as the power is being applied.

0 to play the music there is also a suction in the bellows V, N and the latter is held in the collapsed position of Fig. 2, holding the shifting lever O in such a position as to connect the motor shaft with the take up shaft F and leaving the rewinding shaft E free. lVhen the sheet is to be rewound communication is opened between the bellows V, and the atmosphere, which permits the immediate expansion of the bellows, the spring P then pulling the shifting lever O to the rewinding position with the rewinding shaft E in engagement with the motor shaft and the take up shaft F free. By this method of control of the rewind the mechanism may be made extremely simple. The mere cutting off of the wind chest 0 from the pumper would permit a gradual expansion of'the bellows by reason of the slow leakage of air; but I prefer to flush the wind chest immediately with air through a comparatively large opening into the atmosphere. Figs. l and 5 show a construction of valves especially adapted to this use. As long as the power is being applied there is a suction in thebox in the direction of the arrow (Fig. \Vhen the playing is to stop and the motor is to be continued in operation there is a valve f adapted o be provis1on of two such valves, one for flushing the wind chest when the other cuts 1t off.

forced against seat 9 so that even though the pumpers continue in operation there will be no suction on the wind chest and all the suction may be directed to the motor. The valve f is mounted on the rod h passing through a stufiing box 7', the outer end of the rod being connected to a rewinding lever,

as indicated typically in Fig. 1 by the lever is. Throwing the upper end of the lever k to the left closes the valve 7 to cut off the air from the action wind chest. in prior constructions this rewinding lever has been connected through a more or less extensive rod and lever connection to the clutch shifting lever. The present invention eliminates such mechanical connections entirely. Connected to the inner end of the valve rod h is a tube Z having a close, but freely sliding fit in a tube m which is fixed in a bushing '11, in the end of the valve box opposite the stufting box j. The tube Z is open at its outer end and is provided with a diaphragm 0 near its inner end and has a large opening p in its side. When the valve rod is drawn 7 from the action wind chest this chest is. flushed quick y with air so as to perm1t an immediate operation of the bellowsand the clutch shifting means to the rewinding position of Fig. l. V

The construction and connections of the valves f .and Z is especially advantageous. The valve f has a disk mounted on the rod or stem it between a pair of washers r and s with spherical faces which bear against the valve disk. Thus a certain freedom of movement ofthe disk on the stem is provided for so that the disk may come easily and certainly to a good bearing all around its seat 9. The tubular valve Z is connected with the stem h by a sort of universal joint or flexible connection as to allow for distortionof the valve box or other parts without interferingwith the freedom with which the tubular valve 6 shall slide in its shell m. The connection is made through a bent wire or rod 2, one end of which passes transversely through the inner end of the valve Z beyond its closing diaphragm 0. The other end of the wire 2? g from the 'pumper, causes the pumper valve to move quickly and easily to its seat and presses it there firmly by reason of the atmospheric pressure on its outer face.

In a previous application, Serial No.

695,511, I have described a tracker mechanism such as is illustrated in the present drawings. The tracker bar A is arranged to slide to the right or left in the upright members S and T of the frame, the tracker bar carrying at its left hand end a rod 4) which bears against an arm 10 extending laterally beyond and mounted fixedly on a movable member g of a bellows which is always under suction through a bleed hole y leading by a passage y and tube 3 (Fig. 8 to the wind chest. The bellows y communicates through a passage 3 and tube y (Figs. 1 and 3 with a control opening a in a member 10 which is adjustably connected to the tracker bar, so that as the edge of the music sheet runs more or less over the control opening a the tracker bar is shifted to the right or to the left slightly so as to hold the tracker bar in its normal position with the opening a partly covered by the sheet.

Simplicity of construction is of t is reatest importance in mechanisms of this sort and I reduce the whole apparatus shown in Fig. 3 to the simplest and most compact form by making the fixed plate V a part of the tracking control bellows. The location of the transmission devices on the right of the tracker carrying frame and both the rewind and the tracker control bellows upon the left of the frame secures in a very compact and simple manner all the parts which ought to be related closely to the tracker bar and music rolls. The plate V is mounted at its upper and lower ends respectively in brackets 11 and 1:2 which are fixedly mounted on the tracker carrying frame.

The machine above described works by suction, but it will be understood that the same principle might be applied to a machine working with air pressure instead of suction. In fact, though I have described in detail a certain specific embodiment of this invention yet it is not to be understood therefrom that the invention is limited to the particular construction described.

Various changes in detail and in the arrangement and combination of the parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departure from the invention.

What I claim is:

1. Mechanism for actuating the rewinding means of a piano player or the like including in combination a bellows which is normally under suction and holding the rewinding means out of operation while the power is being applied, and means for opening communication between said bellows and the atmosphere to permit the immediate actuation of the rewinding means.

2-. In a player for pianos or the like, in combination, a motor shaft, a take up shaft, a rewinding shaft, means for clutching the motor shaft alternatively to the take up shaft and to the rewinding shaft, a bellows normally collapsed and holding said clutching means in the take up position while the power is being applied and means for opening communication between said bellows and the atmosphere to permit the immediate shifting of said clutching means to the rewinding position and a spring for so shifting said clutching means.

3. In a player for pianos or the like, in combination, a motor shaft, a take up shaft, a rewinding shaft, a bellows controlling said clutching means and means for opening communication between said bellows and the atmosphere.

a. in a player for pianos or the like, in combination, a rewinding means, a bellows controlling the same, an action wind chest communicating with said bellows, a valve for cutting off communication between said wind chest and the pumper and a second valve operatively connected with the first for opening communication between said chest and the atmosphere when communication is cut off from the pumper.

5. In a player for pianos or the like rewinding means, a bellows communicating with a wind chest and acting when collapsed to hold the rewinding means out of operation, means for opening said wind chest to the atmosphere to cause a quick expansion of said bellows, and skipping means for holding said bellows closed to prevent such expansion when the wind chest is opened.

6. In a player for pianos or the like, a wind chest, a pumper normally communicating therewith to exhaust air therefrom, a pneumatic motor device communicating with said wind chest and normally held imder suction thereby, and means for opening communication of said wind chest with the atmosphere to put said motor device immediately under atmospheric pressure.

7. In a player for pianos or the like, a wind chest, a pumper normally communicating therewith to exhaust air therefrom, a pneumatic motor device communicating with said wind chest and normally held under suction thereby, a valve for cutting off communication between said chest and pumper and a second valve operatively connected with the first for opening communication between said chest and the atmosphere when the communication with the pumper is cut off.

8. In a player for pianos or the like an action wind chest, a pneumatic motor device communicating with said wind chest, 2. pumper, a valve f for closing communication between the action wind chest and the pumper, a valve Z for flushing the wind chest and a connection between said valves permitting rotary and transverse distortion of one without effect upon the other and transmitting linear movement only from one to the other.

' 9. In a player for pianos or the like a In 'Witness whereof, I have hereunto tracker carrymg frame, a transmlsslon slgnecl my name 1n the presence of two submechanlsm mounted at one slcle of salcl scrlblng .wltnesses.

frame and a pair of bellows mounted at the EUGENE T. TURNEY. r other side of said frame, one of said bellows Witnesses:

operating the rewincling clutch and the other D, ANTHONY USINA,

controlling the tracking operation. LULU STUBENVOLL.

Copies of thi patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

